Terhak "Thundergrowl" Gerhalk.
Terhak "Thundergrowl" Gerhalk is a male goliath barbarian-bard, one of the founders of Vicious Mockery and their main frontline fighter, and a "giant metal" enthusiast. Backstory Terhak grew up alongside his three years younger sister Arhma. Usually staying about six months at Jötnahall when their father Dragvir returned home from fighting and questing. This period would be filled with training and constant trips up the mountains. As well as some traveling around Nordheim for some easy training quests and minor battles for training. In addition to all of this, Dragvir would often tell stories from his past with Vestkanten Crew. As a valherra it was important for Dragvir get an heir. It was with this intention he trained both of his children in a hard but fair way. For the other six months they would stay with their shaman mother, Hirgun “Skywatcher” Hongatar, at the closest goliath tribe, receiving a quite normal goliath upbringing and education. This mostly included hunting, resources gathering and cooking. Even though his upbringing was harsh and filled with lots of training, he maintained good relations with his family. Both him and Arhma never really had any rivalry, but rather helping each other trough whatever their father threw at them. They did fight on several occasions, but without any clear winner. They both made up for each other’s’ weaknesses. For example, Arhma made up for Terhaks size and strength with being smaller and quicker than him. Though his mother Hirgun was the tribe shaman and was often busy, she was still able to make time for teaching her children the goliath way of life as well as knowledge about the neighboring human population. Terhaks relationship with his father could be a weird one at times. Most of their time together was spent on hunting and fighting. While Dragvir could be strict and would often push Terhak to the limit, he would always be fair and was always there to help if things didn’t really go as planned. He acted as both a harsh coach and a loving father at the same time. Terhak would also be the one in the family to inherit Dragvir's mysterious genetic flaw of beard growth, but with a twist. Terhak could also grow normal hair from his head. As this occurred before the beard growth it was the source of a little bit of panic among Terhak and Dragvir. As hair growth is typically seen as female trait among goliaths, they were both worried that Terhak was about to turn into a woman when the hair growth started. This panic was luckily short lived as they quickly saw that Terhak's penis stayed on and no breasts grew. Terhak eventually developed an intrest in music during some of the journeys in Nordheim. He was especially interested in this new underground experimental “metal” music. He was eventually contacted by a mysterious travelling bard known only as Vanirmo and asked if he wanted to learn how to play an instrument. With an improvised guitar (made from his great axe and a certain type of adamantium strings) he ended up becoming a professional guitarist. This interest was eventually shared by some of his goliath friends from the tribe. They ended up forming the band Blodørn. Their playstyle fell under the sub-genre of “giant metal”, and eventually they started preforming at some local taverns and even other tribes. Their lyric often contained goliath legends and stories, as well as stories about Vestkanten Crew. When Terhak was around 20 years old, the ageing valherra Dragvir decided that it now would be a perfect time to find out who would take his place when he died. He told Terhak and Arhma to settle this however they liked. Be it fight to the death, several challenges or just a wrestling match. However, they decided to solve it with a simple conversation as they never really had any interest in being rivals. Terhak knew his sister was interested in the title and wasn’t very keen on it himself as he had other plans. Arhma ended up inheriting the title of valherra, and Terhak was now free to do what he wanted. For the next four years Terhak would travel around the world with his band Blodørn, preforming in several taverns and basements. Since the band was still an underground band they never achieved any huge fame but still had some loyal fans. This period was filled with partying, drunkenness and brawls. Terhak also worked as a part time chef in several different places. Why and how this came to be remains a mystery as Terhak was famous in the tribe for making horrible food, even by goliath standards. Around the time when Terhak turned 24 he became friends with Levi and Elana Rosewood and Draxina. A short while after this meetup, the band Blodørn would come to an end. An elvish girl had apparently seduced the other guitarist of the band called Dagmar. She had given him some notes for a song they should play. During rehearsals Terhak played a wrong note, but luckily for him this is what saved him from certain death. This song opened some sort of portal and sucked in all the band members except Terhak. While this sudden incident shocked him, he didn’t feel very sad because his mind was quickly set for revenge. This elvish girl was going to die. He also saw this as an opportunity to join his new friends on the journey in the parents’ footsteps, just like the stories he grew up with. Description Appearance Terhak is a ca. 2,5m male goliath. With grey skin typical of a goliath, white pupiless eyes like his father, and intersecting tattoos across his torso and arms. Unlike most goliaths, due to his family's genetic mutation Terhak sports a beard like his father, even though his is shorter. More so, Terhak is the first documented male goliath even in his family to grow hair; which worried him and his father when it first started to grow. Personality Though often seen as brutal and primitive, due to his father's harsh, and barbarian-survivalist upbringing in the mountains of Nordheim. Terhak is also tributed as a rather calm and collected man, even if prone to yelling. However, all his calm demeanor disappears whenever he enters a frenzied rage. As he looses all control, becoming little more than a cannibalistic animal, brutally slaughtering any he considers an enemy, and proceeding to eat their faces. Terhak himself explains that he doesn't even know he is doing it, as he experiences blackouts whenever he enters a frenzied rage. Biography Background Even though the only son of the first valherra, the most defining part of his life was after his upbringing. When he joined the new and experimental musical troupe Blodørn, the first band of the new genre of music: giant metal. After joining up with them, he traveled across Nordheim, gathering a following of fans after a couple of years of touring. During the Campaign: Songs of Adventure. Goblins & Necromancers A Table Worthy a Knight A Noble's Dark Deed Vengeance Best Served Cold War of Giants Dark Words in Hushed Whispers Breadcrumbs Notable Relationships Arhma Gerhalk Younger sister, and battle-buddy since birth. Blodørn Terhaks former "giant metal" band. Presumed dead. Draxina She touched his penis once, when he spaced out. Character Information Personal Quest(s) * Blood For The Blood Eagle. Ever since she sent his former band members to who-knows-where that fateful evening, Terhak has sworn to hunt and kill the elf girl who tricked him and the rest of Blodørn, and hopefully at least find out what happened to them in the process. Notable Items Current Items * Greataxe, with adamantium strings to make it into a functioning guitar. * Admirer's Favor: a bra. * Multicoloured Disc (Wodnerous item). * Bracer of Return (Magical Bracer. Common). (Bought from Ollander). * Barrel Tankard of Many Drinks (Magical Tankard. Common). (Bought from Ollander). * Googles of Nightvision (Wondrous item. Uncommon). * Greataxe of the Frostkin (Magical greataxe. Very rare). * Handaxe of Giant Slaying (Magical handaxe. Rare). (Terhak's item of choice from the Jötunhall vault). * Potion of Cloud Giant Strength. * Map case with maps of Streice, Farhvin, Lothing, Adrea, Farrendale and Kalrodia. Former Items * Vicious Maul (Magical Maul. Rare). (Taken from the Jötunhall vault of The Glacial Stonemen). (Put back into the Jötunhall vault). * Bargruff (Magical sentient Greataxe. Very Rare. Infused with the soul of an ancient, dragonslaying dwarf). (Gotten during Vengeance Best Served Cold). (Placed at Dragvir's tomb in the Jötunhall vault). Statblock Barbarian 5 (Path of the Berserker) / Bard 3 Armor Class: 16 (natural armor) Hit Points: 96 Speed: 40 ft. Senses: passive perception 15. Proficiencies * Skills: acrobatics, athletics (expertise), deception, intimidation (expertise), perception, performance. * Tools: disguise kit; musical instruments: guitar, drums, ?; fishing tools. * Armors: light armors, medium armors, heavy armors, shields. * Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons. Abilities Trained from a young age as a goliath barbarian by his father, and later taking an interest in creating magic from music. Terhak utilizes the best of both worlds as a frontline fighter and supportive spellcaster . Goliath Abilities * Natural Athlete. * Stone's Endurance. * Powerful Build. * Mountain Born. Feats * Tavern Brawler. Barbarian Features * Rage; uses: 3, +2 to damage while raging. * Unarmored Defense. * Reckless Attack. * Danger Sense. * Primal Path: Path of the Berserker. ** Frenzy. * Extra Attack. * Fast Movement. Bard Features * Spellcasting: DC 15, +7 to hit. * Bardic Inspiration (d6). * Jack of All Trades. * Song of Rest (d6). * Expertise: athletics, intimidation. * Bardic College: College of Metal. ** Heavy Metal. ** Rock Hard. Spells Cantrips * Vicious Mockery. * Dancing Lights. 1st level * Thunderwave. * Cure Wounds. * Unearthly Chorus. * Sleep. 2nd level * ? Trivia * His father would feed him nuts to - if not cure him of it - make Terhak resistant to his nut allergy. * Upon hearing of his father, and "uncle" Rex and Mace's deaths, Terhak barely held his composure as he exited the Hillfoot farm into the forest, venting his grief from these dark news through a burst of frenzied rage. Upon returning, he was covered in splinters, dirt, wounds, bruises and his own blood. When later the same day Vicious Mockery left for Jötunhall, they saw the three pine trees he had vented his anger on, reduced to logs and splinters. On a closer inspection, the other party members could see that, though there were axe marks, most of the damage to the trees were made with Terhak's own two hands. * Unlike his father, Terhak can read. Other Quotes "''But Dad, i'm allergic to nuts!" - ''Terhak, moments before being forced to eat nuts